Feeding, Housing, & Caring for Fire Belly Newts
Salamanders are Fun and Interesting Pets to Keep
Sep 19, 2009
Fire belly newts are not quite frogs, and not quite lizards, but amphibians from the salamander family. These newts are interesting pets and are definitely fun to watch. Fire belly newts have very specific feeding and housing requirements, and also have unique characteristics that pet owners should be aware of before they handle or purchase them.
Feeding
There are many different kinds of dry newt foods on the market. Newt pellets sink to the bottom of the tank where the fire belly newt can find them. Fire belly newts do not need to eat everyday. Feeding them every 3 to 5 days is plenty. Any uneaten food should be removed from the tank, as it can go bad and spoil the water.
Fire belly newts can be very picky eaters, and overfeeding them exacerbates this. If they don't eat, they will waste away and die. If a newt has not eaten for a long period of time (2 to 3 weeks), try offering it some frozen blood worms. This treat usually snaps them right out of their finicky eating habits, as fire belly newts love blood worms.
It should be noted that blood worms shouldn't be fed all the time, as they are very rich and cause fire belly newts to get too fat. Blood worms should be used to thicken up malnourished newts (as many from big box pet stores tend to be), or as a treat, every 2 to 3 weeks. If you prefer to feed your fire belly newts frozen food, offer them some brine shrimp, as brine shrimp are not as fattening.
If there are more than one fire belly newt in a tank, try to spread the food around. Fire belly newts have poor eyesight, and rely on their sense of smell. When the scent of food hits the water, they often mistake their fellow newt's tail or toe for a tasty bite to eat. Luckily for them, if a fire belly newt does lose a toe at feeding time, it usually grows back.
Housing
Even though fire belly newts spend a lot of time in the water, they still need some dry land. A vivarium of half land and half water is probably best, as this closely matches the natural habitat of the fire belly newt. Rocks, wood, or plastic ornaments can be used as well.
Using a filter is also wise, as newts shed their skin, and this can foul the water. The red pattern on the underside of the fire belly newt (hence the name) is not just for looks. Animals with this pattern are mildly poisonous, and, if the water is not filtered, the toxins fire belly newts excrete from their skin can poison a tank. This is especially true if a newt dies and is not removed from the tank immediately.
Fire belly newts are best kept in a species aquarium. If you wish to try and keep them with other newts or fish, choose ones that are about the same size, as fire belly newts may try to eat smaller frogs or fish, and larger tank mates may try to eat them.
Water conditioners that remove chlorine and chloramine should always be added to a fire belly newt's water, as water straight from the tap will kill them.
Handling
As previously mentioned, fire belly newts are mildly toxic, meaning they won't kill a person, but may cause some irritation. After handling a fire belly newt, a thorough hand washing is in order. This is especially true for small children. Fire belly newts should not be handled for very long (10 minutes or less), as they will dry out if held too long.
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